Girl Out of Reach
by Wai-Jing Waraugh
Summary: Princesses don't marry kitchen boys. If Dimitri had his own song in the film or the musical, perhaps this is what he might sing. UPDATE: second chapter (song: reprise version) now added!
1. Chapter 1: Song (Dimitri's solo)

_Author's note: Hi there, 'Anastasia' fans! I know I'm preaching to the converted, but I recently watched this movie again and realized what a forgotten gem it was. If you omit the scenes of Rasputin (I could never take him seriously as a villain) you're left with a beautiful coming-of-age/romance story. The animation is beautiful, the voice-acting is tremendous; combined, they create a subtlety and maturity that I couldn't appreciate while watching this as a child (I had a very similar reaction to Disney's Tarzan, rediscovering it more than a decade after first viewing - this revelation comes after two decades!)_

 _Like any viewer with a romantic bone in my body, I'm a fan of Dimitri. It occurred to me while watching that he doesn't have his own song. He has a few lines in both 'Rumour in St Petersburg' and 'Learn to Do It', but those numbers primarily belong to the ensemble and Vladmir respectively; all he has are a few verses in 'Paris Holds the Key' to express his heart-ache, when the conflict between his feelings and his morals forms a critical part of the plot. The same goes for the musical: neither 'Crowd of Thousands' nor 'Everything to Win' directly address his angst-filled attachment to Anya/Anastasia. So I came up with this original song-fic. I'm not sure what the site's policy on musical-style songs is, since scripts are not allowed; but I've done a similar fic for 'The Scarlet Pimpernel', so I figured 'why not!'_

 _I imagine this internal-dialogue taking place sometime after the 'boy who opened the wall' line. It could occur at one of several points in the film: directly after the aforementioned scene, in Sophie's garden; between the 'Paris' number and the 'don't marry kitchen-boys' conversation with Vlad; after Dimitri brings Marie to see Anya and wanders off into the city streets; or when he takes his leave of Vlad and Pooka. You can imagine imagery of him seeing flowers and jewels as he wanders through Paris, perhaps waltzing with a dream version of Anya just like she did with the dancers in the 'Once Upon a December' sequence, only to have the illusion evaporate; if the scene takes place after he says goodbye to Vlad and Pooka, the pair could be watching on and listening in sympathy, but are unable to stop him from leaving._

 _I'm in no way musically-inclined, so I can't compose the notations to go with this, though I have a rough tune in my head. The best way I can think to describe it is somewhere between 'Be Our Guest' and 'The Spring in Springfield' from The Simpsons - neither of which seem appropriate for a song about unrequited love, so feel free to invent your own tune as you like. The line breaks indicate a change in structure (coda/verse/bridge, or whatever they are called) as well as a change of tempo; the opening and closing verses should be slower and more subdued._

 _Without more ado, let Dimitri sing! ~ W.J._

 _ **Edit:** I'm adding a second chapter, please check it out!_

* * *

 **Girl Out of Reach**

If you want to get by in this cold, cruel world  
don't you dare even dare think of love  
You won't stand a chance; any thought of romance  
is remote as the stars above

When she first came to me, why did I not foresee  
the danger that she would be?  
I broke my own rule, now I feel such a fool,  
for it's perfectly plain to see...

* * *

She's her royal Imperial Highness  
She's the top, the very finest  
Every quality sets her apart  
She's Russia's last princess  
A damsel with such finesse,  
she trampled all over my heart

She's a lady born to rule  
The highest class in any school  
The finest pupil Vlad ever did teach  
She was my ticket out of town  
til I saw her in that gown;  
Now she's simply out of my reach

* * *

What happened to scheming and conning?  
How could I lose sight of the prize?  
A skinny twig I thought  
I had no interest to court  
somehow blossomed in front of my eyes

* * *

She's fine bijouterie  
The fairest jewel in Paris  
A rough-cut diamond, both precious and rare  
She's a rose, on whose thorns  
I am completely torn  
No other bouquet can compare

She is grace personified  
I wish I'd never lied  
to her oh-so-beautiful face  
Though I'm deep in her spell,  
I swear I'll never tell her  
how she makes my heart race

* * *

I had no time for sighs and sweet-nothings  
I was never a sentimental man  
Yet I'm not immune to schmaltz  
As soon as we began the waltz,  
I stepped into the palm of her hand

* * *

She's the belle of every ball,  
presiding queen of every hall  
in the palaces of my mind  
She's my match in every way  
and though I long to stay,  
I am destined to leave her behind

My wits have gone and lapsed  
for she's beyond my grasp,  
It's no use to beg or beseech  
I'll always love her so  
although I fully know...

...that she's far out of my reach


	2. Chapter 2: Reprise (Duet)

_Author's note: so, I ended up writing a sequel. I didn't set out to, it just sort of happened! Having given Dimitri his own song, it occurred to me that Anya didn't get to sing much in the second half of the film, having had two big numbers of her own near the beginning, so... this happened._

 _A duet for Anya and Dimitri, taking place directly after they defeat Rasputin. I was planning on writing a prose story for that scene (I have numerous strong ideas for how it could go) but here is a song version for now. There's a conversational aspect to it, parts for who is speaking are noted (A for Anya/Anastasia, D for Dimitri), they sometimes interrupt each other and finish the other's lines, I hope it's not too confusing._

 _I tried to keep to the same structure as the previous chapter. The rhyming pattern seemed somehow familiar; I finally worked out that it is similar to the chef's song from 'The Little Mermaid'. Do I know how to pick out a tender ballad or what!_

 _What next? A song for Pooka? He doesn't have his own- (nope, this is it) Enjoy! ~ W.J._

* * *

 **Girl Out of Reach (Reprise)**

 **A:** I don't understand what just happened then  
 **D:** It seems that the bridge could collapse  
 **A:** No, I mean since I saw you hours ago  
Would you care to fill in the gaps?

 **A:** When you left- **D:** I came back  
 **A:** You didn't take- **D:** What I lacked  
far surpassed all imaginable cost  
 **A:** Why did you- **D:** I despaired,  
and then I couldn't bear  
to face up to what I had lost

* * *

 **D:** Lost my heart in Paris,  
and so I tried to flee  
 **A:** You should never have ever have run  
 **D:** Can you blame me for sighing?  
I was only trying  
to accept that the dancing was done

 **D:** Now the music plays on  
 **A:** Could it play our lives long?  
 **D:** Sure, the waltz has only just begun  
 **A:** It will play all our lives  
 **D:** It could be a rough ride!  
 **A:** That's okay, I'm sure it will be fun

* * *

 **D:** Princess, you have pick of this city  
You could have any man you might choose  
 **A:** If that's true, then stay near  
 **D:** You're sure you want me here?  
 **A:** You're the one that I don't want to lose

* * *

 **A:** How did we come this far?  
 **D:** By boat, bus and rail car,  
horse, bicy- **A:** Stop it! You know what I mean  
Can this really be real?  
How did I come to feel  
for you, after the cretin you've been?

 **A:** You were rude! **D:** You were tart!  
So what changed? **A:** Well, my heart  
 **D:** I have finally opened that wall!  
 **A:** That... was you? **D:** It was me  
 **A:** Could you possibly be  
the boy who saved me when I was small?

* * *

 **D:** Your music box slipped through your fingers  
 **A:** Then you picked it up-? **D:** From the floor  
 **A:** After all these years past  
 **D:** Now I've found you at last  
 **Both:** And somehow, it is you I adore

* * *

 **D:** Anastas- **A:** Anya, please  
 **A:** Annoyance? **A:** Hah, you tease!  
 **D:** I'm afraid I'm unable to change  
 **A:** From a fool? If you could!  
 **D:** To a prince? **A:** Hm, that would  
never suit you, it would just be strange

 **D:** I don't have anything  
not a crown, nor a ring  
but I'll still go down on one knee  
Do you cry? **A:** No, I laugh!  
 **D:** Why? **A:** I finally have  
what I want - together in Paris

 **Both:** Together in Paris...


End file.
